


lit up a candle, showed me the way

by SailorSol



Category: Power Rangers Mystic Force
Genre: Cousins, Family, Family Fluff, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Mother's Day, Shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-02-11 18:05:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2077914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorSol/pseuds/SailorSol
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick gets Clare to help him shop for a Mother's Day present for Udonna.</p>
            </blockquote>





	lit up a candle, showed me the way

**Author's Note:**

  * For [terrierlee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/terrierlee/gifts).



> Title from 'Hotel California' by The Eagles.

“Nick, I really don’t think—”

“Relax, Clare, it’s not like we’re going to Fifth Avenue,” Nick said, leading his cousin through the Forest towards the barrier to Briarwood.

“Where?”

“Fifth—never mind.” He resisted the urge to sigh in frustration; it wasn’t Clare’s fault she had never heard of New York City. “It’s Briarwood, you’ve been there before.”

Clare stopped feet from the border, eying the air suspiciously. “Only to the Rockporium, and, you know, during fights.”

“So it’s about time you saw more of it.” Nick wished once again that Maddie had agreed to come along on this trip, but she’d insisted that Nick needed to spend time with Clare without the rest of the team or his parents present. “Besides, I need your help,” he added, offering her the best hopeful look he could muster. It had stopped working on his sister when he was six or seven, but Clare hadn’t had time to build immunity to it.

“Don’t you think Maddie or Xander would be a better choice for helping?” Clare asked

“You know Mom best. I want to get her something nice for Mother’s Day.”

“Nick, we don’t even celebrate that in the Forest.”

“Always time to start. We can skip the cheesy cards and the overpriced flower arrangements, but I want to get her something.” Mother’s Day was just a convenient excuse, of course. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his adopted parents, but he’d given up the hope on ever finding his birth parents. To learn that they hadn’t wanted to give him up, that his mother had missed him every day, was like a dream come true. “To thank her for, well, everything,” he added.

And that clinched it for Clare. He offered her his hand; she took it, and together they crossed into Briarwood.

* * *

“What kind of music does Mom like?” Nick asked. Despite what Nick had said about seeing more of Briarwood, the first place they’d ended up was still the Rockporium. That was fine by Clare; she was still getting used to being around crowds of people, and when half those people were Rangers or residents of the Forest, that made it easier for her.

“Well, we would always attend the fairies’ midsummer festival,” Clare said. “Though I don’t think Tobey has any of their music.”

Nick snorted softly. “No, probably not. How about this?” he asked, holding up one of the CD cases labeled _The Eagles_.

Clare frowned, but shrugged. “I suppose she’d like birdsong, but eagles aren’t very pretty sounding, are they? Maybe larks would be better?” Nick had that look where he was trying not to laugh at her. Clare crossed her arms. “What’s so funny?”

“Sorry, I’m not…I mean, _The Eagles_ , yeah, I get that, but…” He dissolved into quiet laughter. Clare fixed him with her best Udonna Glare until he got himself back under control. “It’s not birds, they’re a band. Classic rock. Here,” he said, tugging her over to one of the listening stations.

Reluctantly, Clare put the headphones on as Nick scanned the barcode. After a few beats of silence, a guitar started playing a rather pleasant tune, followed by a second guitar adding depth to it. It wasn’t until almost a minute into the song before a man started singing, and then the audio faded out and stopped. “That’s sort of pretty. Prettier than the kind of stuff Vida listens to sometimes.”

Nick smirked. “Don’t let V hear you say that. Though it’s hard to argue against The Eagles.”

“You know we don’t have anything in Rootcore to play this with, right?”

“Yeah, already got that covered. Figured I’d get her a CD player, a couple of CDs she might like, and, well…”

Clare wasn’t used to seeing Nick hesitant or unsure. Even when she first met him and learned about magic, he hadn’t looked so lost. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I’m sure whatever you get Udonna, she’ll love.”

“You’re probably right,” he admitted.

“Of course I’m right. You said it yourself, I know her better than anyone else,” Clare said. “But you want to know what I really think?”

“What’s that?” Nick asked.

“I think you should forget about the presents and just tell her you love her.”

Nick blinked three times and then started laughing. “Y’know, I’m glad you’re my cousin. I’d be lost without you.” He slung an arm around her shoulder the way he sometimes did with Maddie or Vida. “Come on, let’s go home.”


End file.
